An ultrathin optical panel, and a method of producing an ultrathin optical panel, are disclosed, including stacking a plurality of glass sheets, which sheets may be coated with a transparent cladding substance or may be uncoated, fastening together the plurality of stacked coated glass sheets using an epoxy or ultraviolet adhesive, applying uniform pressure to the stack, curing the stack, sawing the stack to form an inlet face on a side of the stack and an outlet face on an opposed side of the stack, bonding a coupler to the inlet face of the stack, and fastening the stack, having the coupler bonded thereto, within a rectangular housing having an open front which is aligned with the outlet face, the rectangular housing having therein a light generator which is optically aligned with the coupler. The light generator is preferably placed parallel to and proximate with the inlet face, thereby allowing for a reduction in the depth of the housing.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein at least one waveguide extends in one direction completely across the outlet face.
2. The optical panel of claim 1 , further comprising at least one light generation system.
3. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; at least one light generation system; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein said light generation system includes: a light source; and at least one light redirection element that redirects incident light from the light source into said coupler.
4. The optical panel of claim 3 , wherein the light source is adjacent to and parallel with the inlet face, and wherein the light source emits light parallel to the inlet face from a top to a bottom of the inlet face.
5. The optical panel of claim 3 , wherein the light source is selected from the group consisting of a light bulb, a slide projector, a video projector, and a laser.
6. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein said coupler turns the light into the inlet face at an angle in the range of about 45° to about 90°.
7. The optical panel of claim 3 , wherein said light generation system further includes a modulator and imaging optics.
8. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; at least one light generation system; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein said light generation system includes: a light redirection element; and a projector which is optically aligned with the light redirection element.
9. The optical panel of claim 8 , wherein the projector projects light onto the light redirection element, and wherein the light is redirected by the light redirection element to said coupler.
10. The optical panel of claim 9 , wherein the projector is disposed beneath the inlet face.
11. The optical panel of claim 9 , wherein the projector is disposed adjacent to the top of the inlet face for projecting the light generally parallel to the inlet face, and is spaced from the inlet face to allow turning of the light from the light redirection element into said coupler.
12. The optical panel of claim 9 , wherein the projector includes a light source for producing the light, and a modulator for modulating the light to form an image.
13. The optical panel of claim 12 , wherein the modulator is selected from the group consisting of a Liquid Crystal Display, a Digital Micromirror Device, a GLV, a laser raster scanner, a PDLC, an LCOS, a MEMS, and a CRT.
14. The optical panel of claim 12 , wherein the projector includes image optics for distributing the light horizontally and vertically across the light redirection element.
15. The optical panel of claim 14 , wherein the image optics include focusing lenses and mirrors.
16. The optical panel of claim 14 , wherein the image optics and the light redirection element comprise expansion lenses.
17. The optical panel of claim 2 , wherein between 2 and 4 light generation systems provide light to said coupler.
18. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; at least one light generation system; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein said light generation system comprises a rastering system which rasters light horizontally and vertically across said coupler.
19. The optical panel of claim 2 , further comprising a housing having a front, a back, two sides, a top, and a bottom.
20. The optical panel of claim 19 , wherein said housing encloses said light generation system and said plurality of waveguides therein.
21. The optical panel of claim 19 , wherein the front of said housing is open, and wherein said housing has a closed depth looking from the open front to the back of the housing.
22. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; at least one light generation system; a housing having a front, a back, two sides, a top, and a bottom; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein the front of said housing is open, wherein said housing has a closed depth looking from the open front to the back of the housing, and wherein the closed depth is about 12 cm.
23. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; at least one light generation system; a housing having a front, a back, two sides, a top, and a bottom; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein the front of said housing is open, wherein said housing has a closed depth looking from the open front to the back of the housing, wherein the top, the bottom, the two sides, and the back each have an interior adjacent to the inlet face, and an exterior, and wherein the interior of the top, the bottom, the back, and the two sides are black in color.
24. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein each waveguides extends horizontally, and the plurality of stacked waveguides extends vertically along the outlet face.
25. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein light is displayed on the outlet face as a video image.
26. The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of waveguides has a thickness along a perpendicular axis from the inlet face to the outlet face, which thickness is less than a height and a width of the outlet face.
27. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein the plurality of waveguides has a thickness along a perpendicular axis from the inlet face to the outlet face, which thickness is less than a height and a width of the outlet face, and wherein the width and the height have a ratio of 4:3.
28. The optical panel of claim 27 , wherein the height of the outlet face is about 100 cm, the width of the outlet face is about 133 cm, and wherein the thickness is about 1 cm.
29. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein each waveguides of said plurality of waveguides includes a central transparent core having a first index of refraction, which central core is disposed between at least two cladding layers.
30. The optical panel of claim 29 , wherein the central core is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of a polymer, a plastic laminate, and glass.
31. The optical panel of claim 30 , wherein the glass is of type BK7.
32. The optical panel of claim 30 , wherein the glass is formed into sheets having a thickness in the range between about 2 and 40 microns.
33. The optical panel of claim 29 , wherein the central core is laminated between the at least two cladding layers.
34. The optical panel of claim 29 , wherein the cladding layers surrounding the central core have a second index of refraction lower than the first index of refraction.
35. The optical panel of claim 30 , wherein the cladding is selected from the group consisting of plexiglass, glass, plastic, polyurethane, a low refractive index polymer, and epoxy.
36. The optical panel of claim 29 , wherein one cladding layer is disposed between adjacent central cores, and is black in color.
37. The optical panel of claim 29 , wherein at least two cladding layers are disposed between adjacent central cores, and wherein one of the cladding layers is black in color.
38. The optical panel of claim 37 , wherein a clear cladding layer contacts the central core, and a black cladding layer is disposed between adjacent clear cladding layers.
39. The optical panel of claim 36 or claim 37 or claim 38 , wherein the black cladding layer is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of black spray paint and carbon particles within an epoxy adhesive.
40. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein each of said plurality of waveguides are formed as flat ribbons extending continuously in a horizontal direction along the outlet face.
41. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein said plurality of stacked waveguides comprises a stack of between about 500 and about 800 waveguides.
42. The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of stacked waveguides is stacked without inclination.
43. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein said coupler is a prismatic coupler.
44. The optical panel of claim 43 , wherein said prismatic coupler includes fresnel prismatic grooves that are straight along a horizontal of the inlet face and are spaced apart along a vertical of the inlet face.
45. The optical panel of claim 43 , wherein said prismatic coupler turns light at an angle up to about 90 degrees.
46. The optical panel of claim 45 , wherein said prismatic coupler is a Transmissive Right Angle Film.
47. The optical panel of claim 45 , wherein a reflector is disposed closely adjacent to said prismatic coupler for reflecting stray light into said plurality of stacked waveguides.
48. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein said coupler is a diffractive element.
49. An optical panel for displaying a projected light image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light that forms the projected light image into the inlet face; wherein said coupler is a holographic element.
50. An optical panel for displaying a projected image, comprising: a plurality of stacked planar optical waveguides, each having a first end and a second end, wherein an outlet face is defined by the plurality of first ends, and wherein an inlet face is defined by the plurality of second ends, the inlet face being substantially parallel to the outlet face; and at least one coupler provided at the inlet face which redirects light into the inlet face; wherein the light forms an image which is projected through the optical panel and is formed at the outlet face; wherein at least one waveguides extends in one direction completely across the outlet face.
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February 7, 2003
May 17, 2005
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